Tampa Criminal Defense Blog

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 26-Jan-2016

The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger is proud to announce that Attorney Hessinger has received one of the most sought-after accommodations in the legal industry: for his work in the criminal defense arena, he has received a 4.9 Superb AV Preeminent® Peer Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®. Martindale-Hubbell® is one of the country's oldest and most trusted legal directories. Their Peer ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 14-Jul-2015

Sometimes parents embroiled in bitter custody or divorce battles use their children to get back at the other parent. This can range from lying to get the court to grant them custody to accusing the other parent of kidnapping the child in order to ensure that do not get to spend time with the child. Being accused of kidnapping is a serious offense, and even if the child is your own, you may face ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 31-Dec-2014

Under the 4 th Amendment you are protected from illegal searches and seizures. This means, among other things, that a police officer cannot stop your vehicle unless they have "founded suspicion of criminal activity" or have probable cause you have committed a traffic violation. There must be probable cause that you committed a traffic infraction or reasonable suspicion that you have ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 15-Dec-2014

According to Florida Statute 316.062, all motorists have a duty to give information and render aid if they are involved in a crash that results in injury or death to another person or damage to another vehicle. This means that if you get in an accident where any type of property damage occurs or a person is hurt, you are legally obligated to stop and exchange information with any other parties ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 22-Apr-2014

You may be wondering how a person can have a criminal record even when their charges were dropped or dismissed. The Florida legislature decided that criminal records would be public unless they are sealed or expunged. A person acquires a "criminal history record" when they have been arrested and fingerprinted, regardless if it resulted in a conviction, an acquittal, or a dismissal of ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 16-Apr-2014

The ignition interlock is a devise that is required to be installed on a person's vehicle if they are convicted of DUI under certain circumstances. The device requires an in vehicle breath test before the vehicle can be started and requires retests at random or specified intervals during the time the vehicle is running. The ignition interlock is required to be installed on your vehicle if any ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 15-Apr-2014

A misdemeanor is defined as a "lesser" criminal act while a felony is a more serious criminal offense. In the United States, the major distinction between misdemeanors and felonies is the length of incarceration and the amount of fines attached to the offense. Generally, a crime that is punishable by incarceration for one year or less is a misdemeanor offense, and all other crimes are ...

Posted By Tim Hessinger || 10-Apr-2014

It has just been forcasted that medical and recreational sales of marijuana will reach 2.2 billion in 2014 and then explode to 8 billion in 2018. Experts are attributing the explosion in forcasted sales to the Cole Memorandum. The Cole memorandum was issued last August by the U.S. Department of Justice and states that the Justice Department will take a hands-off approach to the marijuana industry ...

Posted By Tim Hessinger || 9-Apr-2014

More than sixty new medical marijuana businesses have incorporated in Florida in the last two months. Entrepreneurs are anticipating the passage of the medical marijuana amendment this November. It has been reported that supporters of amendment have pledged 20 million for TV ads in support of the ballot initiative and that 78% of Florida voters polled say they support the legalization of medical ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 8-Apr-2014

Many who are arrested for DUI mistakenly believe that their case is hopeless. This is not necessarily the case! There are ways to beat a DUI charge and people are doing it every day across the nation. As a Tampa DUI law firm, we have helped many good people get their DUI charges reduces if not dismissed altogether. With so many different factors going into a DUI case - such as the legality of the ...

Posted By Timothy Hessinger || 23-Oct-2013

A knockoff Ecstasy drug taken by users in Florida has led to their deaths. Six young people in the state have died recently in connection with taking the fake Ecstasy drug, called PMA which stands for paramethoxyamphetamine. The potentially lethal drug is cheaper to manufacture and is impossible to differentiate from authentic Ecstasy, which is made of MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine). The ...

Posted By Timothy Hessinger || 17-Oct-2013

Dozens of DUI cases in the Tampa area have been dropped recently due to the involvement of a Tampa police sergeant who was fired from his job last month. The sergeant, R. F., was a 19-year veteran and a supervisor of the department's DUI unit. He was fired because an investigation showed that he was part of a calculated set-up leading to the drunk driving arrest of a Tampa attorney. That ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 3-Sep-2013

Detectives with the Tampa Police Department have been working to identify suspects who may have been involved in a stabbing which left one man dead and another injured. The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday near East 5 th Avenue and North 16 th Street. Emergency calls reported that two men had been stabbed. Paramedics and police arrived promptly and found that two 21-year-old males ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 28-Aug-2013

A Tampa man who had been arrested and released after a hit and run accident involving serious injury is back in custody after police received the results of a blood test conducted at the time of his arrest. The crash occurred late in the evening on July 27 th. The man, 38-year-old D.W., was driving an SUV south on Providence Road when he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 4-Jun-2013

When working with a criminal defense lawyer, don't you want a legal professional who will respond to your needs in a timely fashion, communicate with you about the progress of your case and just generally provide you with high-quality service? According to Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Timothy Hessinger's clients, this is exactly what the lawyer provides. LexisNexis® ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 21-May-2013

One of the many rights afforded to you under the U.S. Constitution is that of the Fifth Amendment. According to the Fifth Amendment, if you are suspected of committing a criminal offense, you have the right to avoid self-incrimination by remaining silent during questioning. That same amendment also gives you the right to have an attorney present during any and all questioning. These rights, known ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 15-May-2013

On the afternoon of Thursday, April 15th, 2013, a 13-year-old student at AMIKids Pasco alternative school was arrested, and subsequently charged with battery on a school employee, after he attempted to choke one of his teachers. The attack allegedly occurred when the teacher tried to break up a classroom fight between the 13-year-old and another student. The 13-year-old, who is reportedly around ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 14-May-2013

A suspect has been taken into police custody after she reportedly attacked several employees at the Tampa International Airport in late April. Law enforcement officers say the woman began to behave strangely, then reacted violently towards members of staff and a Homeland Security agent who attempted to help her. According to the reports filed by Florida law enforcement officials in connection with ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 10-May-2013

After receiving reports of a fatal shooting at a home in Citrus Park, deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department identified two men they believe to have been responsible for the robbery-turned-homicide. One suspect is accused of carrying out the robbery and murders, while the second was booked for accessory to the deed. According to initial reports filed by local law ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 6-May-2013

Civil Traffic Infractions According to Florida statutes, civil traffic infractions are those traffic violations which are not considered to be of a criminal nature. Civil traffic infractions include moving and non-moving violations such as the following, and more: Failing to yield at a stop sign Not wearing a seat belt Various parking violations Careless driving Not giving the right-of-way to a ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 24-Apr-2013

Wallace Deaton was pulled over a civil traffic infraction and the police officer asked him for consent to search his person. Not knowing your rights, Wallace allowed the officer to search and the officer found one oxycodone pill in Wallace's pocket. Wallace told the officer he has a prescription for the pill but its at home. Wallace is arrested for possession of a controlled substance and ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 2-Apr-2013

Having a warrant issued for your arrest is a frightening and dangerous situation, especially when law enforcement arrives to execute the warrant and place you under arrest. Not to be confused with a bench warrant, which is issued when an individual has failed to appear in front of the court for a mandatory hearing, an arrest warrant is issued when a judge has been presented with sufficient ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 27-Mar-2013

During the early morning hours of Sunday, March 3rd, 36-year-old Jesse Mockler was driving northbound on U.S. 19 when a Florida State Trooper attempted to pull him over after clocking his rate of speed at 72 mph in a 55 mph zone. The trooper stated that Mockler's vehicle drifted out of its lane twice before Mockler finally stopped at a gas station at the corner of U.S. 19 and State Road 50. ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 19-Mar-2013

Work release programs are typically geared towards criminals who are looking to avoid serving time in jail, yet who have been convicted of non-violent crimes such as drug crimes, theft crimes and white collar crimes. Individuals convicted of violent crimes are traditionally sentenced by judge and/or jury to serve time in jail or prison. However, a recent investigation by the Tampa Bay Times into ...

Posted By The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger || 14-Mar-2013

Being arrested for a crime, especially when it is a first time offense, can be a very frightening experience. In Tampa, FL, the type of criminal charges you are facing, whether or not it is your first offense, whether the charges against you are felony or misdemeanor charges and many others factors will determine if you will be facing jail time or, if you may qualify for one of a variety of ...

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